Drawing table tray attachment



' DRAWING TABLE TRAY ATTACHMENT Filed April 12, 1956 LL L 44 44bINVENTOR.

3 50 \J-CLHUBER'T IVESTER ATTORNEY United States Patent DRAWING TABLETRAY ATTACHMENT .1. C. Hubert Ivester, Greenville, S. C. Application Aril 1-2, 1956, SerialNo. 577,794

5 Claims. (CL 45131) This invention relates to attachments for drawingtables to aid the draftsmanor designer and more'particularly toanadjustable tray whichmay be adjustably positioned with respect to thetable and the levelof the tray may be adjustedaccording' to the level ofthe table.

Considerable time and effort is presently expended by draftsmen' anddesigners in locating. and keeping track of the various drawinginstruments and devices such as the instruments themselves, handbooks,erasers, triangles and other aidsto the draftsman. It is necessary for adesigner, for example, to make constant reference to various handbookscontaining data relating to the material employed which is necessary inthe design of structural members from the particular. materials sothat-the structuralparts designed may meet the loading and otherconditions required. Generally, the table top is tilted upwardly awayfrom the draftsman so that ready access may be had to the work. Thenecessity for constant reference to hand books and the relatively largenumber of instruments and other paraphernalia employed by the draftsmanand designer makes for confusion and only makeshift eflorts have beenemployed in the past to efiect a systematic way of maintainingconvenient access to all this equipment.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a tray whichwould contain the various paraphernalia of the draftsman so that readyaccess may be had to these devices and so that the tray could be movedto any desired location with respect to the drafting table.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable instrumentholding device for a drawing table which may be particularly adapted tobe employed with a drawing table having a tiltably adjustable top sothat the tray may be adjustably positioned with respect to the table andthe level of the tray adjusted according to the tilted position of thetable.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable instrumentholding device for a drawing table having a tiltably adjustable topconsisting essentially of a trackway adjacent and in alignment with eachside of the drawing table. A bracket assembly is slidably carried byeach of the trackways, the bracket assemblies extending above thedrawing table. v An elongated tray is positioned between each of thebrackets. The bracket assemblies include means for tiltably adjustingthe tray and means for adjusting the position of the tray with respectto the table.

I accomplish these and other objects of my invention by providing anadjustable instrument holding device for a drawing table having atiltably adjustable top comprising an elongated member having anelongated, longitudinal slot therein, secured adjacent and in alignmentwith each of the side edges of the table, a first bracket slidablypositioned on each of said members projecting above the table,threadable means carried by said first brackets and slidably positionedwithin the slots so that the threadable means may be tightened to fitthe position of the brackets with respect to the slots, a second bracketpivotally carried by each of said first brackets and an elongated trayice secured between said second brackets and, threadable means carriedby said first brackets permitting tiltable adjustment of the tray, sothat the tray may be adjustably positioned with respect to the table andsothatthe level of: the tray may be adjusted to correspondto the, table.

While some of the objects of the.- invention have been stated above,otherswill become apparent to those skilled in the artrelatingtodrafting-tables when the specification is read in connection with theaccompanying drawing inwhich:

Fig; 1 is a perspective view looking from'the rear of a drafting tablehaving a tiltably adjustable top, and

Fig. 2 isa sectional view takensubstantially along the line 2 2 in Fig;1.

Referring more particularly to thedrawings, the numeral 10 broadlydesignates a-draftingrtable-having a rectangular top frame 12 and fourlegs 14 located atv each of the corners of the: rectangular frame 12.These legs are suitably supported by a pair of parallel side supports 16and a longitudinalsupport 18. It will be noted that a tiltablyadjustabletop 20'is provided for the-table 10-and is pivotedas by thehinges 22 to the front of the table 10-. The rear edge of the top 20'isrnaintained and elevated in an elevated position by the'rod 24 whichis pivotally attached to the top 20 as at 26, the lower portion oftherod being adjustably secured by passing the rod through an internallythreaded sleeve-28-which is suitably secured to the table as-at 30 andproviding a threaded member 32 which may be screwed into the sleeve 28to bear against the rod 24.

It will be noted that a pair of parallel channel members 36 arepositioned one adjacent each edge of the table top 20 by securing theflanges 36a to the table as by screws 38. The channel members 36 areeach provided with an elongated longitudinal slot 40. These channelmembers serve as guides or trackways for positioning the various partsof the device to be described below, with respect to the table.

A pair of bracket assemblies broadly designated at 42 are adapted to beslidably carried by the members 36. The bracket assemblies consistessentially of first brackets 44 which project above the table and areprovided with inwardly projecting legs 44a having channel portions 44badapted to engage the channel members 36 carried thereby. The channelmembers 36 carry threaded elements 46 which are provided with heads 48.Wing nuts 50 are threaded on to the elements 46 so that by tighteningthe wing nuts the brackets 44 may be held in fixed relation to thechannel members 36. It will be noted that the brackets 44 project beyondthe edge of the table top 20 so that the edge of a straight edgeassembly 45 may pass under the tray 58.

A second pair of brackets 52 are pivotally carried as at 54 by the firstbrackets and are provided with inwardly projecting flanges 52a to whicha somewhat shallow tray 58 is secured as by the screws 56. The brackets52 are provided with arcuate slots 52b opposite the pivot points 54 andthreaded elements 58 are carried by the first brackets 44 and extendthrough the arcuate slots 52b and are provided with wing nuts 60 whichmay be tightened to position the brackets 52 with respect to thebrackets 44 and thus adjust the level of the elongated tray 58.

It is thus seen that by loosening the wing nuts 50 the tray and bracketassemblies 42 may be adjustedwith respect to the table so that articlesheld thereby may be conveniently used by the draftsman or designer. Byloosening the wing nuts 60 the level of the tray may be adjusted so asto accommodate any tilted position of the table top. It will be furthernoted that the front portion of the tray is cut away so that the traymay be easily cleaned.

While a preferred embodiment of my invention has been described usingspecific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes only, andit is to be understood that changes and variations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An adjustable instrument holding device for a drawing tablecomprising a trackway secured adjacent and in alignment with each of theside edges of the drawing table, a bracket assembly slidably carried byeach of the trackways, said bracket assemblies extending above thedrawing table, an elongated tray carried adjacent the top of thebrackets, said bracket assemblies including means for tiltably adjustingthe tray and means for adjusting the position of the tray with respectto the trackways.

2. An adjustable instrument holding device as set forth in claim 1, inwhich said trackways comprise an elongated channel member having anelongated longitudinal slot therein and threadable means slidable insaid trackways for adjustably positioning said brackets with respect tothe trackways.

3. An adjustable instrument holding device as set forth in claim 1, inwhich said bracket assemblies comprise an upwardly projecting portioncarried by each of said trackways. A second portion pivotally carried byeach of said upwardly projecting portions for carrying the tray andthreadable means for adjustably positioning said second bracket withrespect to said upwardly projecting portions.

4. An adjustable instrument holding device for a drawing table having atiltably adjustable top comprising an elongated member, having anelongated longitudinal slot therein, secured adjacent and in alignmentwith each of the side edges of the table, a first bracket slidablypositioned on each of said members projecting above the table,threadable means carried by said first brackets and slidably positionedwithin the slots, a second bracket pivot ally carried by each of saidfirst brackets, an elongated tray secured between said second bracketsand threadable means carried by said first brackets permitting tiltableadjustment of the tray, whereby the tray may be adjustably positionedwith respect to the table, and whereby the level of the tray may beadjusted to correspond to the table.

5. An adjustable instrument holding device as set forth in claim 4, inwhich said first brackets are spaced fi'om the edges of the topsufficiently to allow a straight edge to pass and in which the frontportion of the tray is cut away to make for easy access in cleaning.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS516,425 Beecher Mar. 13, 1894 535,945 Donald Mar. 19, 1895 1,440,993Hasbrouck, et a1. Jan. 2, 1923 1,477,409 Woolman Dec. 11, 1923 1,767,950Westbrook June 24, 1930 1,953,026 Scheuer Mar. 27, 1934 2,194,889 DeLisle Mar. 26, 1940 2,223,405 Cain Dec. 3, 1940 2,436,045 LeinheiserFeb. 17, 1948 2,483,920 McLean, et a1 Oct. 4, 1949 2,646,330 SwainbankJuly 21, 1953 2,768,043 Kristofi, et al. Oct. 23, 1956

